Maligned recruiter Phil Scully has his moment in the sun as others argue he knows his stuff

PHIL Scully has kept his head down in Greater Western Sydney's Melbourne offices this year, shunning publicity and getting on with the job of being the league's most maligned recruiter.

He has joked privately that, considering the heat over the inclusion of his six-year $680,000 contract in the Giants' salary cap, his first real interview will occur when his son Tom wins the Brownlow Medal.

Right now that looks unlikely, but the former roof tiler will get his own glimpse of the limelight tonight, sitting at the head recruiting table as the Giants take five picks in the first 14.

While Scully works away behind the scenes, there are plenty of people around him prepared to argue he pulls his weight as the club's Melbourne recruiter, one of only two full-timers at the Giants.

"He will be up there on Thursday along with Paul Brodie, who is our No.1 recruiter, so they have done a pretty good job so far. The fact is Phil was working for Sydney as a recruiter anyway, so I think it's what people want to read into it.

"It was something he was already doing and he became a full-timer for us."

Brodie, Scully, Silvagni and football boss Graeme Allen will be joined by Adelaide-based Malcolm Ellis and West Australia's Brent Dawkins, both part-timers.

The official line from GWS is that it has been hard done by being forced to put Scully's salary into the cap.

GWS boss Dave Matthews told the Herald Sun last year he had lobbied the AFL about Scully's status inside the salary cap, but the club said it had "no plans" to revisit his position next year.

GWS coach Kevin Sheedy already has lauded Scully for his role in recruiting first-year revelation Toby Greene, after watching him dominate at Wesley College.

Sydney Swans recruiting boss Kinnear Beatson employed Scully part-time last year, and backed up the Giants' claims that he knows his stuff.

"He had a good feel for translating the kids' attributes and how they would develop into AFL players or not," Beatson said.

GWS will never erase the scepticism over Phil's presence at the club, but if he is the only recruiter in history to be paid inside the salary cap, at least he is singing a jaunty tune for his supper.